In the aftermath of a militant assault on Borobekra Police Station and a nearby CRPF post in Manipur’s Jiribam district, security forces have initiated an extensive search operation to locate six missing civilians, including three women and three children, who disappeared during the violent incident.
The attack unfolded around 3 pm on Sunday, with heavily armed militants firing on both the CRPF post at Jakuradhor and the police station.
Inspector General of Police (Operations), IK Muivah, described the attack as “unfortunate,” noting that security forces responded after repeated warnings to the attackers went unheeded, leading to an intense 45-minute gunfight.
Tragically, two civilians, who had been sheltering in a relief camp at Borobekra Police Station, lost their lives, and a CRPF officer sustained injuries.
Ten militants were killed during the confrontation, though claims later emerged from Kuki-based organizations suggesting that those killed were civilians.
Muivah refuted these claims, stating that recovered weapons and attire confirmed their militant identities.
The missing individuals, including Yurembam Rani (60), Telem Thoibi Devi (31) and her daughter Telem Thajamanbi Devi (8), as well as Laishram Heitombi Devi (35) and her two young sons, were all residents at the relief camp when the assault occurred.
Out of thirteen people taking shelter there, six went missing, five were rescued, and two lost their lives.
Reinforcements have since been deployed to the area as the search for the missing continues, with authorities determined to restore security.
During subsequent search operations, the bodies of two elderly men, Laishram Balen and Maibam Kesho, were found among the debris of burnt shops in the Jakuradhor Karong area, which militants had reportedly set ablaze on Monday.
The Jiribam district administration has since imposed prohibitory orders to maintain calm in the area.
In response to the incident, the Kuki-Zo Council announced a shutdown from 5 am to 6 pm on Tuesday in the hill regions, protesting the deaths of suspected militants in the gunfight.
Tensions spread to other areas, with fresh outbreaks of violence reported in Imphal Valley, where exchanges of fire between rival groups occurred.
Security forces, including teams from the Assam Rifles and CRPF, are on high alert, patrolling vulnerable points and working to stabilize the situation as operations to clear remaining militant elements continue.